JAKARTA: The Riau High Court has doubled the prison sentence of suspended Governor Abdul Wahid to four years after upholding his conviction on extortion and corruption charges.
The verdict was read out by a three-judge panel led by Abdul Azis during a hearing held online on Monday (Oct 5).
“The defendant is sentenced to four years in prison and fined Rp 200 million [US$ 11,000]. If the fine is not paid, it will be replaced by 80 days in jail,” Azis said as he read the verdict.
Wahid was also ordered to pay 1.45 billion rupiah in restitution within one month after the verdict becomes legally binding. If he fails to pay, his assets will be seized and auctioned to cover the amount, the judge said.
If the proceeds are insufficient, he will face an additional 18 months in prison. After the hearing, Wahid’s spokesman, Musliadi, said the governor would appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court.
“We respect the High Court’s decision and the legal process. We believe that Wahid is innocent. We have not finished our efforts to seek justice and will continue to pursue all available legal avenues,” Musliadi said.
He said Wahid's legal team would first study the Riau High Court’s ruling in detail, including the reasoning behind the judges’ decision.
“This is not over. We are still reviewing the ruling, and we will prepare the next legal steps,” he said.
Musliadi urged the public not to rush to judgment and to respect the presumption of innocence. He also called on Wahid’s supporters to remain calm and express their support peacefully.
“We ask everyone to stay calm and pray. We hope Wahid remains in good health and receives justice,” he said.
The KPK detained Wahid along with his two accomplices: the governor’s special staffer Dani M. Nursalam and head of Riau Public Works, Spatial Planning, Housing, Settlement and Land agency (PUPR-PKPP) Muhammad Arief Setiawan in a graft raid on Nov 3 last year.
Prosecutors alleged that Wahid ordered Dani to collect money from officials at the Riau PUPR-PKPP Agency, threatening those who refused to contribute with removal or reassignment. According to prosecutors, the officials, fearing transfers or dismissal, raised Rp 3.5 billion between April and November last year.
The funds were allegedly used by Wahid for personal expenses and other purposes. On July 30, the Pekanbaru Corruption Court sentenced Wahid to two years in prison and fined him Rp 200 million, with an 80-day jail term if he failed to pay. It also ordered him to pay Rp 1.45 billion in restitution.
KPK prosecutors appealed the verdict, arguing that the sentence was below the four-year minimum prescribed under Articles 12 of the 2001 corruption eradication law.
Wahid is one of 18 regional heads elected in the 2024 regional elections who have since been implicated in corruption cases, 13 of whom have been arrested this year. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
